McCloughan was the GM of the San Francisco 49ers until 2010, when he and the team had a "mutual parting." However, multiple reports at the time said he was dismissed for "personal, non-football reasons."

He then became a senior personnel executive for the Seattle Seahawks. He resigned in April 2014 due to a reported "private, personal matter."

In a recent ESPN story, McCloughan detailed his past battles with alcohol abuse and how it led to his departure from San Francisco. He has been looking to make a comeback in the league and has been running his own scouting business. He told ESPN a handful of NFL teams have paid him $75,000 each to evaluate players.